Conventional carriers and storage solutions for equipment, tools and recreational items tend to be bulky and difficult to ship or transport. They are heavy and typically are preassembled. The present invention provides a superior cargo carrier and storage system comprising a streamlined yet strong and readily assembled modular enclosure adaptable to multiple carrier and storage applications. The present invention can be shipped unassembled in a flat container and is easily assembled by an end user. The diverse uses and applications of the present cargo carrier include open or covered enclosures for indoors or outdoors and has multifarious vehicle carrier and storage systems. In addition, the system has multiple chassis configuration systems that are easily interchangeable and can be used on cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, travel trailers or any other vehicle with a receiver type hitch or it can also be easily attached to trailer chassis systems via a unique side panel attachment system.
Cargo carriers have a long history of use with vehicles to increase the vehicle cargo capacity. These cargo carriers include, inter alia, roof top carriers, trunk mounted carriers, bumper mounted carriers, trailers, ball mounted carriers and receiver mounted carriers. Receiver mounted carriers have become increasingly popular as they can handle greater load capacity, and for ease of mounting to and removing from vehicles. These types of cargo carriers typically include a shank for insertion into the hitch receiver, locking pins for securing the shank with the hitch receiver and a platform mounted on the shank for holding the cargo.
Persisting problems with these types of carriers include durability, limited applications, capacity for adaptation to various hitch or other carrier and storage systems, and cumbersome configurations. Conventional platforms of such prior art carriers are typically metal grates welded to an angle iron frame that is welded onto cross members which are then welded onto the shank. These systems are bulky, heavy and unwieldy, and this creates problems when installing, removing and storing them. Their cumbersome, fixed “nonbreakdown” configuration and lack of adaptive features also incurs high shipping and storage costs, and the single use configuration lacks modular or fastener anchors. These prior art carriers result in persisting drawbacks regarding shipping, storage and adaptive uses.
Another problem is how to attach this type of carrier system to recreational vehicles (RV) and trailer system. Many travel trailers and RV chassis systems do not have a receiver type hitch in the rear of the chassis and so it is problematic to attach the present invention to the rear of these chassis. In addition, if a standard receiver type hitch is utilized in these chassis systems there are problems due to the excessive shake and movement behind the chassis of the larger vehicle or trailer. Therefore, there exists a need for a configurable cargo carrier system that is easily attachable to an RV chassis that is more solid and secure and that does not require the existence of a hitch type receiver.
Another problem of conventional carriers emanates from lack of tensile strength and durability needed to transport heavy or bulky cargo, including, for example, wheeled equipment, such as a wheel chair, personal mobility scooter, motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle, lawn mower or similar equipment. Moreover, loading such heavy and bulky equipment often requires a ramp or lift to which latter prior art carrier systems are not readily adaptable due to the pre-welded designs. In addition to these types of vehicles there is also a need for this additional durability to carry other heavy accessories and products, such as portable generators, grills, or other heavy items.
Thus a need persists for an adaptable, configurable and easily assembled cargo carrier that is lightweight, easily portable, easily disassembled for storage and shipping yet is high strength and able to cargo a relatively large amount of cargo.